Are you GDPR ready?

Following our previous post on GDPR, and every other social post and email regarding GDPR I think it’s safe to say you should know what it is as well as why it’s so important for businesses to comply with the change. But if you are still unsure about how to comply with the guidelines before the close approaching deadline here is some information on GDPR and how you can make sure you are within the guidelines.
In simple form, GDPR is the update of the General Data Protection Act which sets guidelines for the collection and processing of personal information of people within the UK and the EU.

You may not think that GDPR will affect you if you don’t have a business however it defiantly will. This is due to the fact that you will be getting multiple emails off companies to fill in to stay as a part of their data list so it is good for you to know exactly what GDPR is and how it will affect you. As well as the things you need to be doing before the big change on the 25th May 2018.

GDPR will affect everyone, especially within an organisation there are many reasons of why you should comply with the new GDPR rules. As there are server consequences if they are not followed. Firstly because it is a legal requirement and vital that every company who has any data from customers’ needs to follow. Whether this is in a CRM system, a mailing list, or information used for any other marketing purposes.

But don’t worry creating GDPR documents aren’t as daunting as you may think at Morgan Branding we have been working on creating GDPR documents for clients to send out in different styles and personalising them to how they would like the document to look. The forms don’t have to be boring and dull as you want it to attract people to re-subscribe. So we have been using our creativity to come up with ways to send the re-subscribe email including all of the necessary details in a way that people will actually want to re-subscribe rather than just ignoring the email.

The new law changes how we store and hold the information we have on customers so if you haven’t already then you need to start updating your what information you hold on people as if you have information after the 25th May that people don’t know about or haven’t consented to then you could be fined up to 20 million euros.

So here are some tips to ensure you are compliant.
Firstly you must organise your data so you know exactly what information you have on customers and clients. Therefore if an investigation is to ever to happen on your business then you know exactly where the necessary information is. This can include photos, addresses, videos, and much more.

Another thing is making sure that data is safely secured so no can steal it and make sure it’s always in safe hands with all hard copies being locked away. A good tip for extra precaution is to record risk assessments of, what you have done to make sure data is safe to show you have taken preparation in advance. Something people don’t realise is that you can’t hold onto data unless you know what you are going to do with it, even if you think you may use it in the future. As people must know that you have their data and why you are using their data.

People who have subscribed and given you their data, although they are consenting to you having their information they should still always be able to unsubscribe and know exactly how their data will be used from now until the future, and who it will be shared with if anyone.

There are two important factors you should note with the changes and this is that you have to show people where and what information you have on them if they ask, which has to be provided within one month of them asking free of charge and if someone asks you to delete all of their information it has to be deleted and not stored anywhere even if you aren’t sending them emails.

Finally, you must have a new Opt-in button, as even if you have recently got someone’s information or you know the person they still have to actively opt into a new list/ say you can use their information before 25th May 2018 because of the new GDPR rules.

If you would like any further advice or help and guidelines on how to get prepared for the new law. Or if you would like us to design a form for you to use, don’t hesitate to get in tough emailing info@morganbranding.co.uk or giving us a quick message.

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